“Dirty Dancing”:
Do Dance Moves Preview Bedroom Moves?
Written by: Slangston Hughes
So, the question is: “Do certain dance moves mirror bedroom moves?” Or, in other words, do various dance cultures suggest and poses strong sexual undertones? The obvious answer, especially in today’s sexually-saturated culture, would most likely seem to be, “Well, duh. Yes!” But, then the even deeper questions that arise are: Are certain cultural demographics judged or held to a separate standard than others? Or is one generation looked at differently from another? And is it possibly all in the perspective of what your specific personal cultural background and social norms may be?
Dances like the tango, salsa, and ballroom dancing are some of the most passionate, as well as graceful, dances around, yet few would judge these dance forms as too racy or socially unacceptable. Is it all just a manner of presentation in how it is perceived? Then, take a look at the MJ-influenced maneuvers of your Ricky Martins, Ushers, Omarions, etc. types who eXhibit sensual dance moves around the groin that can get rather imaginative and certainly cause provocation of a romantic and seductive vibe. Plus the Janets, Beyonces, Ciaras, and so forth on the other side of the gender spectrum conjure up similar sexually-driven dance tapestries within their various movements. Not to mention the dances of the various Caribbean cultures, particularly those accompanied with reggae and dancehall music.
Many movements included in traditional West African dance practiced by adults and children alike are not intended to have any sexual connotation whatsoever; however, when viewed through the overly-sexed lens of Western civilization and culture it is seen as being provocative or indecent.
One particular dance of intense scrutiny and controversy is known as “daggering”. This is when a young woman stands on her head, legs spread, and two men stand straight on either side of her. As crowds look on, the two men begin to push her back and forth by her ankles until finally she’s flipped over and thrown into one man’s arms, legs over his shoulders. As he gyrates and thrusts onto her limp body, the DJ in the background urges them on. The woman is then thrown back to the other man, who grabs her from behind and begins to grind into her. Sexually suggestive? Um, yeah. One would certainly think so, and someone from outside of the culture might even think they had possibly stumbled on to a porno set.
Music associated with daggering has even been banned from many airwaves due to its lewd content, and the super-suggestive moves have the guardians of Jamaican culture sounding the alarm. But, is daggering and the dancehall tradition from which it sprung a stain on Jamaica’s legendary musical heritage, or just the newest envelope-pushing phase of youth culture?
However, some would argue that dancing as a metaphor for carnal relations is nothing new fore, isn’t having an eXcuse to move in time with the opposite sex the very reason dance floors were invented? But daggering takes the pantomime to an almost cartoonish eXtreme, both in the lack of subtext in the dance moves and the aggressively eXaggerated way those motions are eXecuted. Men thrust wildly, often throwing women through the air or swinging them forcefully over their groins. A version called “sky daggering” has men eXecuting flips or leaps onto their prone female partner. Even though recently, due to more relaxed standards, several songs associated with daggering like Vybz Kartel’s “Rampin Shop” and Spice’s “Check Mi Fi The Daggering” were getting radio play over the last year.
Is daggering and the dancehall tradition from which it sprung a stain on Jamaica’s legendary musical heritage, or just the newest envelope-pushing phase of youth culture?
Then, there is the current Hip-Hop influenced youth culture standpoint where you have many high schools that have banned so-called “dirty” or “freak” dancing. Which is, of course, followed by the predictable student protests that inevitably ensue. "It's our way of culture now. It's how we dance.” Parents and teachers complain that today's high school dance moves resemble sexual foreplay or simulated sex. "Grinding" and "freak" dancing (a move where one partner backs his/her backside into the other partner’s crotch) are the norm. Students say that security cams and busybody chaperons are infringing on their constitutional rights. Meanwhile, school districts struggle to walk the fine line between mollifying parental demands for standards of conduct and decency at school-sponsored events. So, what's a parent to do? Dirty dancing has been around for years, but the latest craze circulating in urban culture, “twerkin’”, would even make the dirty dancing look tame.
Mimicking the sex act on middle and high school dance floors has been popular for student dancers since before even 2000, which is when school administrators across the country began banning freak dancing. Yet, somewhat on the cultural flipside, many movements included in traditional West African dance practiced by adults and children alike are not intended to have any sexual connotation whatsoever; however, when viewed through the overly-sexed lens of Western civilization and culture it is seen as being provocative or indecent.
So, at the end of the day, is it about the difference in the generational outlook, a difference in cultural perspectives, varying and constantly changing ethical and moral standards, or all of the above? Varying opinions would seem to defer across the cultural spectrum, so I’m not personally sure there is just one correct or incorrect answer. What do you think? Free your mind, ya’ll!
